Polypeptide components of the apamin receptor associated with a calcium activated potassium channel

Photoaffinity labeling of rat brain membranes with [125I]ANPAA-apamin incorporated radioactivity into polypeptides of 86 and 59 kDa and occasionally a more weakly labeled component of 45 kDa. These polypeptides were immunoprecipitated with anti-apamin antibodies and treated with glycosidases. Neither the 86 nor the 59 kDa polypeptide appeared to be N-glycosylated. Partial proteolytic mapping of affinity labeled polypeptides with chymotrypsin or V8 protease generated an identical pattern. These results suggest that the 59 and 45 kDa components are not additional subunits of an oligomeric protein but result from cleavage of the 86 kDa polypeptide.